


slow dancing in a burning room

by voidisa



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Dancing, Dark Aqua (Kingdom Hearts), Darkness, F/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:08:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26195392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voidisa/pseuds/voidisa
Summary: Aqua tries to escape her nightmares by going on runs late at night. Tonight, Terra finds her and tries to calm her troubled mind. Some feelings may come to light in the process.
Relationships: Aqua/Terra (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 40





	slow dancing in a burning room

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to do a Terra/Aqua piece for a while now, and this was the only thing coming to mind, so I hope it's okay. Also, I made Terra's eyes brown because I'm tired of everything having blue and green eyes. *shrugs*

Her feet pounded upon the narrow path, heart beating at a rate far too fast for her liking. Each breath was labored and painful, each step like cracking open an old and desolate memory locked away deep inside her mind. The longer she ran, the more her chest started to tighten, and with each stuttering breath, she feared the tears might work their way to the surface. 

Running was supposed to be an escape. It was supposed to be a way for her to spend some time alone, to reflect, to clear her head. The beautiful night sky in the Land of Departure was like a cool, refreshing embrace, waiting with open arms to welcome her home and promise her safety and comfort for all of her days.

That's how it had been in the past, anyway. Tonight, she didn't feel like she was quite so alone. Tonight, it felt as if the demons of the Realm of Darkness were chasing her -- every kind of Heartless she could imagine. And herself. Each quiet movement, each whispered breath upon the wind made her jump and turn her head, and for just one brief moment, she could swear she saw those golden eyes peering back at her, filled with malice and a need for revenge, a need to grab her and drag her down and keep her, swallowing her up in darkness for all eternity. 

But then they would disappear, and she would remind herself that she was completely and utterly alone. Terra and Ven were tucked away in their beds, dreaming of better days. And Eraqus? Eraqus was dead. Who else could possibly be out here with her? She was alone, and even if Ven and Terra were within her grasp, that didn't mean that they wouldn't just disappear again, like smoke in the wind. Even if she fought to keep them safe and alive, how was she supposed to know that that would be enough? What if it was never going to be enough? 

Her chest felt tight with pressure, like a balloon that was just mere seconds away from popping. The rest of her body stopped working before her feet, and they carried her just a few steps more before a sob suddenly trembled through her body and she collapsed onto the ground in tears. 

She hadn't cried in so long. In the Realm of Darkness, she had never had enough time to stop fighting, so she kept running, trying her hardest to ignore her problems as she destroyed everything within her reach. But now she had lots of time to think, lots of time to remember, and no matter how fast she ran or how far away she managed to get from her home, it seemed that the past and all of those terrible memories always caught up with her. There was no means of escape. 

She wiped away the tears that stained her burning cheeks, though they just continued to fall. Her shoulders shook, and she had to force herself to take deep breaths as she finally lifted her head and looked around. 

The night sky was a deep navy blue, illuminated with shining white stars that looked like pinpricks on a canvas. The moon was a crescent, hiding behind a thick wall of gray clouds. Despite the promise of an oncoming storm, the world seemed to be at peace. 

She had collapsed right in front of Eraqus’s grave. The flowers had been placed there a week ago, but already, they were starting to look droopy and sad, withering away just like all things tend to do. 

“Eraqus,” she whispered, pushing her blue hair away from her face as she leaned forward. His name was hardly ever uttered in the halls of their home, tucked away like a quiet secret that just the three of them knew. In heavy silences at meals, Aqua could tell that they all wanted to say something, wanted to somehow honor his memory and make things right for the future, but none of them seemed to have the right words to say. Even now as she kneeled before what they deemed his final resting place, she couldn’t quite come up with anything. 

“I...I’m so…” 

Something shifted behind her, the subtlest hint of intrusion, and in a mere second, she was on her feet with her keyblade drawn, pointing it at the person that had chosen to invade her home. 

Terra held his hands up in surrender, offering her a simple smile, and she let out the breath she’d been holding and stowed her weapon away. 

“I really didn’t mean…” he said, running a hand nervously through his hair. The corner of his right eye twitched. It was a tic that he had never quite been able to break, something that always let Aqua know there was something wrong. 

“It’s fine,” she said, wiping away the remnants of her tears. Her cheeks still burned, and it still felt like she was about to explode like an atomic bomb, but she kept a straight face as best she could. “I thought you were asleep.” 

“I was, but I heard you leave two hours ago, and I’ve been worried ever since,” Terra told her. He inched closer to her, his arm shifting just a little like he wanted to reach out to her. She angled her body away, and his arms dropped to his sides in resolve. 

“You mean you were staying awake waiting for me to come back?” Aqua asked, scoffing lightly. “There’s really no need to do that.” 

“I know, but --” Terra frowned. He was still running his fingers through his hair. Aqua glanced quickly at him and noticed that he was closer now. She could see the starlight shimmering in his dark brown eyes. “I have nightmares too. If you need to talk…” 

Aqua hung her head, digging the toe of her running shoes into the dirt, and nodded. “Yeah. I know.” 

Silence grew between the two of them, heavy and oppressive, and Aqua had to force herself to take deep breaths for fear of suffocating. She kept fluctuating between wanting to tell him to go back home and wanting to beg him to stay, but with the indecision warring inside of her, she just bit her bottom lip and kept quiet, hoping that Terra would speak first. 

And he did. Aqua stood there with her shoulders so tense that they were nearly touching her ears, but as Terra came closer to her, his lean, muscular arms outstretched, she felt the weight she had been carrying around with her slowly start to crumble. Her muscles unfurled, and as his arms curled snugly around her waist, she let out a breath of relief, melting against him as her troubles took flight in the gentle wind. For one brief, wonderful moment, it felt like everything was going to be okay, that everything had been okay all along, and she pressed her face to his broad chest and squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back tears as she breathed in his familiar scent. Like oak and dirt and springtime rain. She thought she could probably drown in it. 

“Why don’t we go for a walk?” Terra suggested. She could feel his breath whispering against the top of her head. She suddenly longed for him to place a kiss there, a reassurance, a promise, just as he had done so many times before. But, just as he had been doing since they settled in, he put distance between them. He respected her boundaries. And she loved that, really. But right now -- especially at this moment -- all she wanted was to cling to him and never let him go, to find some hint of normalcy again. 

She nodded. “Y-yeah. A walk sounds good.” 

He stepped aside, gesturing for her to take the lead. “You’re Master Aqua, after all,” he said, which made her blush. He loved to call her that, and it still sounded perfect and genuine rolling off of his tongue. It solidified what she already knew was true of herself -- that she was strong enough to beat the odds, even when they were stacked against her. Still, she gave him a playful shove and rolled her eyes just to give him a hard time. 

“You’ll be Master Terra one day soon,” she told him as they started down the familiar path down to the lake. That had been her and Terra’s getaway spot on nights when they couldn’t sleep before Ven arrived. It was a sacred spot, a special place filled with hidden memories. It was something they could share, just the two of them. 

Terra didn’t seem as thrilled at the idea as Aqua was. He cleared his throat, his fingers tapping nervously against his side like he didn’t really know what to do with them, then shook his head. His hair was messy, unkempt, and it fell heavily over his eyes with each movement. “Aqua,” he said, his voice barely audible. She had to move closer just to hear him. “I barely feel like I deserve to wield a keyblade. I know I don’t deserve the title of Master. Not after what I did.” 

“What are you talking about?” Her voice had grown sharp, much harsher than she had expected it to sound. She sighed, trying again. “Terra, everyone has their moments of weakness. I know I did. I gave in --” 

“You spent years trapped in the Realm of Darkness!” Terra exclaimed. He drew to a halt, turning to face Aqua. “I was tempted by darkness from the very beginning. I fell into Xehanort’s hands at the tiniest chance that I would gain enough power to prove myself and protect you and Ven. If I would have been in your position…” He shuddered. 

Aqua raised an eyebrow. “Is this a contest to see who’s had it worse? Because I don’t really think that’s fair. You should give yourself credit where credit is due. You realized your mistake early on, and even when you lost the battle, you never stopped fighting to win the war.” She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You’re stronger than you think you are. And you will be Master one day.” 

He pushed her hand away gently, but still, a smile tugged at his lips. His fingers swept through his hair, pushing them out of his eyes. "You have too much faith, Aqua. I don't know how you do it." 

Her tongue traced her bottom lip, and she heaved a sigh, reaching out for him again. This time, her fingers wrapped around his, loose at first, then tightening so much that her knuckles turned white. Like she was afraid if she didn't hold on tightly enough, he would just float away. His dark eyes connected with hers, and slowly, he relaxed into her touch, dragging her down the hill toward the lake. 

"You and Ven have given me all the power I need," she told him. "Nothing can shake me ever again." 

Terra pursed his lips, as if he wasn't quite sure if he should believe her. Truthfully, she didn't really believe herself. But if she couldn't believe in her best friends, what could she believe in? They had given her strength to keep fighting time and time again, and they would continue to do so. 

"I haven't been sleeping very well," she confessed. "I've been getting up to run every single night until I can't handle it anymore." 

Terra was silent for a moment. Then, "That's why you look so tired all the time." 

Aqua let out a breath, her blue hair fluttering against her skin. "Yeah. I guess that's why." 

They descended the hill and walked a short, narrow path in the direction of the lake. A tall, white picket fence surrounded the perimeter where several cherry blossom trees bloomed, their pink petals escaping and dancing a beautiful waltz across the wind. The temperature had dropped a little bit since Aqua had left her bedroom, so there was a slight chill to the air. She shivered, and Terra’s thumb glided over her palm in a soothing swirling pattern. 

“Cold?” he asked.   
“A little.” She shrugged. “I’ll be fine.” It felt like a fire had blazed to life within her. The more she focused on her and Terra’s hands clasped together, the faster her heart started to race. She could feel the heat traveling through her chest, rising to her neck and cheeks. It felt silly reacting this way to such a simple touch, but it had been so long, and she had missed him so much. There were days she thought she wouldn’t ever see him again, days she wanted to give up. And now that he was here, her love was stronger for him than ever before. 

“Hey,” he said. He turned to her, taking both of her hands into his momentarily as he looked into her eyes, grinning. “Come here. I have to show you something.” 

Aqua snorted as she let him drag her the remainder of the way to the fence. “I just realized you’re wearing those rubber ducky pajamas I gave you when we were sixteen. I can’t believe you still have them.” 

“I can’t believe I still fit in them.” 

She studied him as he moved, lithe and agile like a cat despite his size, shifting into the shadows like he was hiding from something. For just a moment, her muscles tensed, her stomach tightened, and her tongue felt like a heavyweight in her mouth as she searched the area, expecting some sort of enemy to pop out and grab them. She was seconds away from drawing her keyblade when Terra finally stopped in front of a cherry blossom tree and crouched to the ground, turning over rocks. 

“What are you doing?” Aqua asked, leaning down to inspect the ground. There was nothing extraordinary there, nothing to be particularly interested in, but Terra looked like he was about to jump out of his own skin with excitement. She loved when he was excited. His eyes lit up, warm and rich like milk chocolate, and he seemed to glow with the energy of a thousand suns. It was always contagious to her. 

“Aha!” he exclaimed, holding up a stone and waving it in her face. “This is what I was looking for. I was wondering if it was still here.” 

Aqua took the stone from his hand and examined it. Carved into the slick gray surface was a sloppy, jagged “A + T forever” with a little heart drawn next to it. She wracked her brain for some sort of memory of it, but she came up short. As her finger glided over the messy handwriting, she looked up at Terra, her eyebrow raised in confusion, and he smiled. 

“I did that when we were twelve,” he said. “I had a really big crush on you then, but I was too afraid to say anything then. After everything we’ve been through, something like that seems kind of insignificant, huh?” 

Aqua chuckled a little and brushed her hair out of her face as she placed the rock back in its rightful home. “It seems so strange, after everything that’s happened, that little things like this would still remain the same.” 

He got up, looking around the area as if trying to find some other secret keepsakes, and Aqua had no choice but to follow him. She wanted to see all of these little things, how he had expressed his love for her so covertly so many years ago. She wanted him to admit that, after all this time, he still had feelings for her. She’d always known -- always hoped, at least -- that he felt that way about her, after all those times he’d held her and comforted her, all the tiny kisses they’d shared when they were caught up in the moment and couldn’t control themselves. But neither of them ever said anything. She should have known, really. Terra wasn’t the type to take the lead, especially when it involved Aqua. 

Well, if she had to be the first to speak…

“I had a crush on you too, you know,” she said. He turned around to face her, his eyebrows furrowed with confusion, and she laughed. “I’m serious. I even told Eraqus about it. You should have seen his face.” 

Terra laughed, a full-bodied, warm, hearty sound, and she took a few steps closer to him in hopes that the warmth would capture her. However, the mention of their former Master seemed to darken the mood quite a bit. A strange energy passed between the two of them, and she shuddered. 

“I did the right thing, didn’t I?” Terra asked. “To protect Ven…” 

Aqua shrugged, sliding her hand comfortably into his. “We’re here now, aren’t we? We have no way of knowing --” 

“But if Eraqus was still here --” 

“You did the right thing.” Aqua looked up at him and took a step closer. He was a few inches taller than her, so the way they were standing, she could bury her face into his chest, and he could nestle his into her hair. Neither of them dared to close the gap, though. “You saw that Ven was in danger, and you did what you had to do to protect him.” 

Terra sighed, his warm breath tickling against her skin. “But what if there was another way?” 

Aqua shrugged, her gaze dropping to the ground. Mostly, she didn’t want him to see the tears that were swelling in her eyes. “There’s no way of knowing. You can’t dwell on it, Terra. It will destroy you.” 

She felt a tremble rush through his body, and suddenly his arms were around her, pulling her so close that she could hardly breathe, but she didn’t mind in the slightest as she took slow, shallow breaths and closed her eyes, relaxing in his embrace. She felt a tear slip down her cheek, and she clung to him tighter, still so, so afraid that if she let go he would be taken away from her. She couldn’t lose Terra again. Or Ven. The loss, she feared, might drive her to complete insanity. 

Terra pulled away from her, and she gasped at the sudden cool air left in his absence. It rolled gently off of the still lake, brushing like feathers against her skin. She looked up at him, his fingers still wrapped loosely around hers, and he smiled at her so warmly that she thought she might melt. 

“Dance with me,” he said. 

The request caught her off-guard. For a few seconds she stood there gaping at him, trying to make her mouth work, and finally she managed to stutter, “Th-there’s no music.” 

“You can just imagine it then.” Terra drew her close to him again, placing both of her hands on his shoulders as his arms encircled her waist. Slowly, he guided her into a smooth, easy sway. Her feet felt like they were encased in concrete, but still, she managed to take a few steps here and there. 

“I didn’t know you danced,” she said, chuckling breathily. Stars twinkled in his eyes, and in the midst of them, she could see her own face staring back at her, tired, gaunt, and haggard. The result of many sleepless nights. 

“I don’t,” Terra replied. “I’ve got two left feet. It’s not as easy as being in a fight, you know.” He shrugged, his laughter rumbling through his body so strongly that Aqua could feel it in her chest as well. “I just always thought it might be nice to dance with you.” 

“Why?” she asked. “I never learned to dance either. It wasn’t exactly part of our curriculum.” 

“We should take a salsa dancing class together.” 

Aqua rolled her eyes. “Salsa dancing? Really? Don’t be --” 

He thrust her outward suddenly, his hand clasped tightly in hers, and her heart slammed painfully against her chest. “Twirl back in,” he said, and she did as she was told, coming to rest with her back against his chest. His arms entwined around her waist, and his head rested on her shoulder as he gently rocked them back and forth. She closed her eyes, letting her head fall back against him. Right now, everything felt totally safe. For the first time in a long time, she felt completely at peace. 

“Does this really count as dancing?” she asked. “We’re just swaying back and forth.” 

“Not intense enough for you?” Terra asked. She could hear the playfulness in his tone, knew that he was about to do something, but she was not fast enough to react as he spun her around and dipped her in his arms, so low that her head was almost touching the ground. If he wanted to, he could so easily toss her into the lake right now, like he had done so many times in the past. She struggled against him, but there wasn’t much fight left, not as she stared up into his beautiful, dark eyes, the eyes that had always been there to calm her when things got bad. 

“Terra,” she breathed. There was a moment’s hesitation between them as they stared at one another, but she could see it in his expression, could feel it in his body as he slowly raised her up higher, his grip tightening on the small of her back. His lips parted, and he carefully, cautiously dipped his head closer to hers, but she was the first to close the gap. 

She placed her hands on both of his cheeks and drew him toward her, their lips meeting with such intensity that it felt like lightning was racing through her veins. It was the first real kiss she’d had in so long that she’d nearly forgotten what it felt like to be this close to someone. It was something that she had longed for, something that she had ached for every single day she was in the Realm of Darkness, and she didn’t know how badly she needed him, how fiercely she loved him, until right this second with his tongue in her mouth and the taste of peppermint so strong that it made her dizzy. 

“Aqua,” he groaned into her mouth, his lips working ferociously against hers. He raised her up to a vertical position again, and he pulled away, instead planting kisses along her jaw, her neck, her shoulders. She threw her head back and let him, her breath coming out in short pants. Gods, she hadn’t known how badly she needed him. For once in her life, she could feel all of those tough walls crumbling away. “I never stopped thinking about you. Every single day when I was stuck --” 

“Stop talking,” she commanded, her hands twisting in his hair as she pulled his mouth to hers again. She felt her feet leave the ground, and it felt like she was flying, but she didn’t care to look, wouldn’t care right now even if they had been pulled to a different dimension. Terra was all that mattered. 

“I love you, Aqua,” he said, and even though she had asked him to stop talking, it didn’t matter because there had never been sweeter words to reach her ears. Her eyes fluttered open to meet his gaze, and she felt halfway drunk as she took in his words. More tears stung her eyes. She felt like she was flying and falling all at the same time. “I always have, and I always will.” 

“I love you too,” she whispered, pressing her forehead against his. “I --” 

Something caught her attention right next to them, and she turned her head quickly to see that, right beside their reflection in the cool, crystalline lake, a pair of yellow eyes watched them in sick, twisted amusement. A scream left her as she stumbled away from him, nearly falling to the ground, and she drew her keyblade and slashed at the water violently, haphazardly, barely even paying attention to what she was hitting. She just wanted her gone. 

“Aqua, hey, hey!” Terra exclaimed, holding out his hand to her as she swung her weapon back and forth, her muscles cramping with each movement. It felt like she was falling apart, but still she fought, tearing away at the water until she couldn’t stand it anymore, and she fell to her knees in a fit of sobs. 

“You don’t see her?” she asked, wiping at her burning, tear-stained cheeks. 

Terra crouched next to her, his arm curling around her shoulders and drawing her close. “There’s no one here, Aqua. Just you and me.” 

Aqua shook her head, leaning into his embrace. Her whole body was trembling. How had she become this weak? After all those years fighting, and she had ended up like this? 

“She’s been following me around ever since we got back,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “She won’t leave me alone. I can’t...I can’t fight her by myself. Not anymore.” 

“It’s a good thing you’re not alone anymore then.” Terra pulled her against his side, placing a kiss to her temple, and she felt her body unfurl like a ball of yarn as she pressed her face into his chest. He wrapped both arms around her, holding her close. “You’ll never have to fight anything alone ever again. I swear. We’re in this together. Forever.” 

“Forever,” she whispered, so lightly that the wind took it and carried it away across the lake. She sighed, suddenly feeling as if she could pass out from exhaustion. 

“Come on,” Terra said, helping her to her feet. “Let’s get you to bed. It seems like you really need it.” 

She nodded, squeezing his hand tightly in hers as he guided her back up the path to their home. She wasn’t alone, she reminded herself. Not anymore. All that darkness that had nearly swallowed her whole was gone. Now she was gazing into the tiny light that had kept her going, now blazing with the strength of the sun and bathing her in warmth and safety. Terra turned his head to smile at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back. 

“We’re in this together,” she repeated to herself. “Forever.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed, please feel free to leave a review! I crave validation.


End file.
